Fir-shaped homemade brownies, with colorful candy ornaments, will be a bake-sale best seller or eye-catching addition to a dessert table.

Ingredients

Brownies

1/2

cup butter or margarine, softened

1

cup packed brown sugar

1/2

cup granulated sugar

2

teaspoons vanilla

2

eggs

1 1/2

cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

1

teaspoon baking powder

1/4

teaspoon salt

1/2

cup chopped pecans

Frosting

2

cups powdered sugar

1/4

cup butter or margarine, softened

2

to 3 tablespoons milk

3

or 5 drops Betty Crocker™ green food color

Betty Crocker™ holiday decors or colored sprinkles

33

pecan halves

Directions

1Heat oven to 350°F. Line 13x9-inch pan with 18x18-inch piece heavy-duty foil so foil extends over long sides of pan. Spray foil with cooking spray. In large bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter, the brown sugar and granulated sugar with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes or until creamy. Beat in vanilla and eggs.

5With metal spatula, lift 1 strip to cutting surface. On 1 long side, mark at 2-inch intervals with a small cut or with toothpicks. On remaining long side, make a mark 1 inch from short side. Make marks every 2 inches. With sharp knife, cut into triangles, using small cuts as guidelines. Frost triangles with 1/3 of frosting. Sprinkle with candy decors. Pull apart slightly before frosting is set. In center of bottom edge of each “tree”, cut small slit with point of sharp knife. Insert pecan half into slit to resemble trunk of tree. (There will be a small piece at each end of each row that will not be a complete tree.) Repeat with remaining 2 rows of brownies and frosting.

Expert Tips

Make brownie triangles and freeze; frost and decorate just before serving.